KBS visit helps to provide a taste of graduate life through Envision EEB program

In October, Michigan State University’s Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior program presented its annual Envision EEB event, which previews the pathway to a graduate school career for prospective graduate students. This year’s event included a field trip to the W.K. Kellogg Biological Station.

Envision EEB

The Envision EEB: Graduate Preview Weekend shows undergraduate students from groups that have historically been excluded from access to graduate education what life in MSU’s EEB program can hold for them. This year, the 11 participating students came from 11 institutions — from Maryland to California and Michigan to Alabama — for a weekend of resources, professional development, and collegiality in the third annual event.

The undergraduate students engaged with current EEB graduate students and faculty for workshops on the finer points of applying to graduate school, including reaching out to potential advisors and how to craft compelling personal statements. They also learned how to find and apply for fellowships and what makes a successful fellowship application, in addition to attending a panel discussing on choosing the right graduate program.

Time spent at KBS

Along with social events around the East Lansing area, students spent a day at KBS. That field trip provided students with a chance to get to know the Station’s facilities and surrounding experimental sites such as the KBS Long-term Ecological Research program site and KBS Pond Lab. Students also were able to visit the Kellogg Bird Sanctuary and interact with resident and wild waterfowl.

“It was such an incredible experience to watch the Envision EEB program come to life again this year. Having the opportunity to interact with incredible students from across the country who will become the next generation of leaders in EEB fields is such a moving experience,” said integrative biology doctoral student Ben Kline, who co-chaired the event organization with plant biology graduate student Emily Conway and assistant professor Lauren Sullivan.

“It was a lot of fun listening to the students share their interests for their graduate careers and help them hone their path to this goal,” Sullivan said. “I can’t wait to see where they end up!”

In addition to co-chairs Kline, Conway, and Sullivan, the event was organized by EEB members Carol Waldman Rosenbaum, Jim Moran, Zinan Wang, Meaghan Clark, and Nadya Mamoozadeh. 

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